New Delhi: Amid growing concern over lynching by cow vigilante groups, the Congress has accused Prime Minister NarendraModi of “double speak” on the issue and asserted that he was not taking any initiative to restrain cow vigilantes who include elements from VHP and Bajrang Dal. 

Congress leader KapilSibal, while speaking in the RajyaSabha, also alleged that the present environment has nothing to do with vigilantism but the prime minister was “creating such environment”.

He was participating in a discussion on the ‘situation arising out of the reported increase in the incidents of lynching and atrocities on minorities and dalits across the country. 

Sibal said the year 2017 has witnessed maximum murders and the cattle ban had negatively impacted leather industry besides industries like soap and shampoo. 

“I am shaken and shattered by the images of grotesque violence and heart-wrenching scenes (which) I have seen on social media and Twitter. We did not see it in the last 50 years,” he said.

He questioned, “What is the sentiment behind it? Why 97 per cent of the violence has taken place after 2017?” Targeting the prime minister, he said it was Modi who had “provoked” such sentiments and quoted his three speeches on October 8, 2015, August 6, 2016 and June 29,2017.

Sibal said paradoxically in one of the speeches, the PM had said that some people were involved in the crime during night and during the day they converted into ‘gaurakshaks’ but no action was taken against such people. “It is the PM whose statement is different during night and different during day…It is PM who is creating such environment. It is better to stop double speak and come clean,” the Congress leader said.

He said the prime minister should not just quote Mahatma Gandhi but follow him in letter and spirit. Sibal said the VHP has announced creating a “holy army of gaurakshaks” and recruited 2,700 people. “These are recruited by VHP and trained by Bajrang Dal,” he said and questioned “Why doesn’t he (PM) say that VHP and Bajrang Dal were anti-social? He gets political support for elections. Hindutva ideology has created a reign of terror,” Sibal said.